After conceding a goal 25 minutes into their Senior Night game, boys soccer had to make a swift comeback, Feb. 4. The pressure was on. Two minutes after Rancho Bernardo’s first goal, left wing Liam McAfee (11) passed the ball to awaiting striker Brayden Rojas (11), who shot the ball straight into the goal.
“Brayden, getting good shots at good angles, is his thing,” right wing Jamie Baik (11) said. “It was a perfect finish, and I think that got us into the game at the beginning.”
With their equalizing goal, Westview was back in the game. In the second half, captain and center attacking midfielder Jayden Williams (12) scored the final goal of the game, bringing Westview to a 2-1 victory over the Broncos.
Going into the game, midfielder Diego Ciriza-Velilla (12) said the team had a determined mentality.
“We felt competitive,” he said. “It was our Senior Night. We had to win this. This is our night. We cannot lose.”
Despite a slow start, Williams said the team gradually built strength throughout the game.
“Once we were getting shots on target, we got confidence,” he said. “Once we got a goal, I feel like we were really on top of [RB] for the rest of the game. Confidence from one player helps the whole team’s confidence. It was really nice for our team.”
Williams said that although the Wolverines were offensively dominant with two strikers, they still struggled to score goals with the setups they made.
“We have four forwards, our two wingers and two strikers, so we definitely put them under a lot of pressure at the start of the game,” Williams said. “We had many shots on their goal and we only scored two, but it’s good to know that we don’t have to [exert all our energy] and we can still get these wins. It’s not easy to finish chances. You can do it in practice 100 times, but in a game, it’s always different. I think that’s what was [blocking the goals], because our players are definitely good enough to do it.”
According to Ciriza, alongside their 4-4-2 formation, the Wolverines strategized for the whole team to press forward together to restrict opposing scoring.
“We controlled the midfield, had more chances open to the wings, and were well organized on defense,” he said. “Pressing all together, if an [opponent] got the ball, we had all of the team ready for a counterattack or all of the team ready for defense.”
On the defensive side, center back Joseph Arango-Manley (12) said the team stayed solid, particularly by clearing the ball far up the field.
“Our coach always tells us if we get in trouble, just clear the ball,” Arango-Manley said. “It worked pretty well, but when they did have some chances, [goalie] Dylan [O’Donohue (12)] was able to come up big and stop the guy and clear the ball, and then we were able to control it better. When they pressed, we just passed it around them and got through them.”
Throughout the whole game, Ciriza said the team was in high spirits, and that mood contributed to their success against the Broncos.
“The team pressed hard,” he said. “They were not giving up a lot of chances. We scored the first goal and then we kept going. Not only did the players that were playing have passion, but [there was] passion on the bench. They were cheering. If the bench has a good attitude, the players start playing better with more energy. Yesterday, they were cheering and supporting the team. I think that’s a really important thing.”
Williams said being on the field for his Senior Night made him reflect on his whole soccer career.
“I’ve played soccer my whole life,” Williams said. “I’ve been thinking about it for a while, that this is really my last season. I’m going to continue playing in college, but it was really special to be out there. These are some of my best friends I’ve made throughout these last four years playing soccer, [it was nice to be able to] share our Senior Night together. It’s been nice. Every year of my high school career, it’s been really fun to play, and I’m really grateful for it.”
